Page:Confiscation in Irish history.djvu/227

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JACOBITES AND WILLIAMITES
215

compensation was to be given in the form of a "reprise" of other lands of equal value. These lands according to clause 10 of the Act were to be provided out of lands forfeited to the Crown by those who on August 1st, 1688, or at any time since had resisted James.[1]

There were further provisions for the compensation of deserving persons who lost their estates, and James set apart £10,000 a year out of his own private estate for further compensation for this class.[2]

To deal with those who refused to acknowledge James an Act of Attainder of the usual type was passed, declaring their lives and property forfeit if they did not submit and stand their trial before certain specified dates.

But it is to be noted that there was a special clause excepting 85 persons who were absent from nonage, infirmity, etc. Their properties however were to be vested in the King until the absentees could return and apply by petition for restoration.

As usual it is difficult to arrive at exact figures for the persons affected by this Act. About twelve hundred and eighty persons were attainted as having actually perished in the rebellion or having notoriously joined in the said rebellion and invasion, unless before the 10th of August, 1689, they returned and stood their trial. Then about

  1. Macaulay seems entirely to ignore the existence of the provisions for the compensation of purchasers. He devotes the greater part of two paragraphs to a denunciation of the injustice to persons who had sunk money in the purchase or improvement of forfeited estates.
  2. It was also provided that the money paid for bona fide purchases of transplanted estates was to be paid over to the Crown by the ancient proprietor, and was to be used to increase the fund for reprisals.